Changeable sign



April 30, 1929. J. D. SELF CHANGEABLE SIGN Filed March 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 2 (jaw 0k fllelf attmuu April 30, 1929. J, D, SELF CHANGEABLE SIGN 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1928 awe WM I April 30, 1929. J. D. SELF 1,710,745

CHANGEABLE S I GN Filed March 19, 192 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 (hawk/lid? I I my I I attowup Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES JOSEPH D. SELF, 0F WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

CHANGEABLE SIGN.

Application filed March 19, 1928. Serial No. 262,715.

This invention relates to a changeable sign designed primarily for use on public vehicles, one of the objects being to provide means whereby, during the travel of a vehicle over any route, a series of signs arranged on an elognated web, will be successively displayed to the occupants of the vehicle, each sign being held stationary for a predetermined time before the display is changed.

A. further object is to provide a dev ce of this cha acter which is simple and compact in construction, can be installed readily, and can be reset readily after all of the signs have been displayed.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown. In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the interior of a public vehicle showing in position a changeable sign such as constitutes the present invention, the means for actuating the sign being disclosed more or less in diagram.

Figure '3 is an enlarged front elevation of :1. changeable sign.

Figure I is an elevation of one side thereof.

Figure l an enlarged section on line '-l.i, Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line Figure 4, the middle portion of the structure being broken away.

Figure 6 is a section through the shiftable gearand its operating means.

Figure 7 is a detail view of a portion of the web.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a box-like casing the front face of which can be formed of a door 2 hingedly mounted as at 3 and adapted to be fastened in closed position by any suitable means. This door has an opening 1 through which the chanegable sign or web is exposed.

A bearing plate 5 is mounted in the housmanner to a flexible shaft 9 which may be 1 arranged in any suitable location within the vehicle V in which the changeable sign is located, the lower portion of this flexible shaft being connected by suitable gearings 10 to the hub portion H of one of the wheels of the vehicle or to any other rotating part. Thus as the vehicle travels forwardly motion will be transmitted through the gears 10 to the flexible shaft 9 and the worm shaft 7 will therefore be rotated continuously as the vehicle travels.

The worm 8 meshes with a worm gear 11 carried by a short shaft 12 journalled in one side of the housing 1 and in the bearing plate 5, as shown particularly in Figure 5. This shaft has a segmental gear 13 which rotates therewith.

A shaft 14 is journalled in one side of the housing 1 and in the bearing plate 5 and mounted for rotation with this shaft is a spool 15 having a tubular core 16 through which the shaft extends. One end portion of the shaft is screw threaded as shown at 17 so as to engage corresponding threads within the core and attached to one end of the shaft is a crank 18 or the like whereby the shaft can be rotated in onedirection for the purpose of winding a web 19 about the spool. Obviously by rotating the shaft 14 in the opposite direction, said shaft can be mist-rowed from the core 16 and slid longitudinally out of the core so as to reach the spool. During the winding operation, however, the thread 17 can screw into the core and thus prevent the parts from becoming separated.

One end taehed to the core of the spool 15 While the other end thereof is attached to the core 20 of a spool 21. The ends of the core 20 are 'journalled in one side of the housing 1 and in the plate 5 respectively, that end journalled in plate 5 being formed with an angular recess This recess is adapted to receive the angular end 23 of a spindle 2A1 slidable in the recess and extending from one side of the center of a gear 26. A circular boss 27 is provided on the other side of the gear and has an annular flange 28. From the center of this boss extends a a spindle 29 on which the sleeve 30 is mountof the elongated web 19 is ated to rotate. This sleeve has :t eolhir at one end WlllC-ll einhrnees the boss and engages heel: of the flange 2,6 so that the sleeve is prlled lon idinolly tht r h a he will like VLSU he moved l'oeriwiili.

over the sleeve :zro. he rotated with rnit rotating the gear and. its spindle.

One end portion (it e sleere ill) ex ends through the side of the housing; i l has :2 knob 32 wheiehyiteonh if 5 d. .irololed norn ally seated in the recess :52 E26 normally positioned where it will gagged, in the gear 13.

wells of the housing is a spring a? lnwiii smell nodes 38 ooh of which is adapted he seated Within any one ol? :1, series eesses 89 formed in one of the V serev 40 is mounted in the Wall of the hensing and beans against the middle port: n o'lthe spring for hearing tl e tension thereof. This spring and its projecting; rodeo eonstitnte moons for preventing the spools :l'roin rotating; freely.

The signs to he displayed are pointed or otherwise formed on the elongated. we/h 12), each .s' 1 being so proportioned as to here all portions thereof appe: r within the opening in the door while the well) is it;

To compensate for veil-lotions in tho eter of the roll of Web, the si :rro spneed different dlstonees from or eh enier, this distance gradually increasing from one end of the Web to the other.

By :rrrznnging the ill "he in this inztnner no ooinpensziting nleehonism is neoe by l eearns its the size ot the roll oft WQlJ Ellill'UiU-lUFK in dizunel'er and the speed of the Weh is oorrospondl ne'ly lllCYUlLJGll, the d ist: time hetweeo. the signs is likewise inert d. Each rolellUD of gear 13 is adopted to produce one oomplete rotation oi. the gear 26 end spool. 21. During each rotation ol? the spool one sign will he brought to position hook oil? the opening l where it Will he LXlIll'iltQtl to if As the vehicle tr: veils forwardly lllU on will he transmitted through the llaKilJlO she'll; to the worm 8 and thence to the gjz 'oers 11 end 13. As before explained QEHli time gzenr li-S rotates the spool is given eeinplete rotation, winding a portion of the wet) thereon so that the Weh will pull on the lower spool 15 and. consto relate. Neither of the spools eon spun however, heeztnse ol? the brake provided in the 'l( in of the spring 37. \Vhen the vol iele is to he hooked, the apparatus :nn he nneonplml from the Vehicle wheel by z sainitohle means providod tor that purpose or, it. y erred, the s eeve 30 run he pulled outwardly no; sl hr hrolrvn lines 111 l ignre l3 and given l. l ion so as to sent ll e pin 35 s ot ext nsion Set. This will. p: ll the P me h with the {IMP 13 Where This position ol? the parts i op Wlldll it is Lllrlllljtl to reset the W winding; it on the spool 15, the crank is ztlr-ii n 'eh l ll; helno employed. for this purpose. This oelnzilion ot the ClltlllC cruises "he she'll; 14: to hind tightly in the core h; at the threruled portion 17 so as to ,lllrlllO the spool 15 as long as the ornol; l, 'nlxed in. one direction. Obviously, hp providing the jmoelmnisio described, eiieh sign will he l roo rhl: to posil'loo heel; of the opel'iino; l while the 'eiirs .3 end 26 are in niesh end, when gear lb moves outol? mesh with gear 21'; the sign will he left it'onzrr r until the gears :rre z'gttill brought 3 to mesh and another sign hionght to exposed position.

7 I opening; the door it the two spools; are exposed so that it heeonies possihle relolily to eonneet a Web to them or to remove it there- Atom l hat is ehiinied is: l. A elizrnrreohle si rn lor use in public Whi les, inrlnding :1 housing having on ope sepor; te spools therein, a web rooneehsd to and adopted to he w mod on the soooli-i, said web constituting the sole driving: lion hetn'ien the spools, :1. gear ro with one of thi spools, ft segmental inovzihle into mesh with the spool gear 10 inlerniittently rotate the some, means for rzinsinltlin 'L motion to the segrnreolofll. glll lroin one oil; the Wheels of the vehicle to rotate said s ignienl'nl there being; spoee'l to be exposed s for holding the spools against tree rotation. A

A. ehznioezrhle sign tor use in public Yehlrles, inelndingr {1 housing halving;- on openii separate SpOUll-j thoreih, :1 web eonoerled and edit rd to he "mood on the spools,

sold Weh constituting the sole driving connection between the spools :L g 3111 rotzrtohle with one of the ro ools, :1. segmental o eor lllOV- ahle into mesh with the spool gear to inter- JUL mi ently rotate the some means for tronsini motion to the segmental. gear from one ol. lie Wheels of a vehicle to rotate said seo menlnl groin roniinooosly, there being spaced signs on the web adopted to be ex posed successively through the opening in the housing, the distances between the signs gradually increasing from one end of the web to the other thereby to compensate for variations in the diameter of the roll of web While being wound upon or unwound from one or the spools, the actuation of the gears lneing timed to si'lccessively expose the signs within the opening, means for holding the spools against free rotation, and manually 1 operative means for rotating one of the spools to Wind the web thereon when the gears are out of mesh.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature.

JOSEPH D. SELF. 

